The acids in our stomachs are great for helping to break down food to digest them, but when it comes to medication, there are some instances where consuming medicine orally might not be the most effective way around it, such as insulin which is typically administered through injections.
However a team of researchers at UC San Diego might have come up with an interesting method of delivering medicine through your stomach and ensuring that it does not get destroyed by your stomach acids, and that is through the use of “micromotors” that will change your stomach’s pH levels so that the medicine can be delivered safely.
The concept isn’t entirely new because in the past, medication used to treat ulcers and bacterial infections are typically administered with a secondary compound that temporarily halts the production of stomach acids. In this case, the “micromotors” are made of a titanium dioxide shell that surrounds a magnesium core, with a layer of antibiotic medication around it, and also another layer of a positively-charged polymer that helps it stick to your gut’s wall.
It sounds like a really cool idea, especially when you consider the fact that these micromotors will use your stomach acids as a fuel source, and once the stomach’s pH levels hit the correct level, the motors will release the medication and finish dissolving. Unfortunately it seems that the research is still in its early days so probably don’t expect to see them so readily available just yet.